Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations

jwm40517 · April 2017

17 percent of $50K is $8500

dino001 · April 2017

Oops. Sorry. One sneaked in. BTW, I am NOT rich, I just can't stand class warfare language, heard too much of it when I was a kid.

abacomike · April 2017

driver100 said:

I am not a good auditory or visual learner.
That doesn't leave much.

Touchy, feely maybe!

Yep! Good thing they didn't teach Sex Ed when I was a kid in school - could never have learned much out of a book. My way (tactile learning) served my purposes much better - right @cdnpinhead?

driver100 · April 2017

Dino, you said it so eloquently....I agree.
Our provincial government in Ontario (which spends money like a ~~drunken sailor~~ crazy (not to offend anyone) to buy votes) is going to experiment with a guaranteed minimum income.

3000 people will get about $17000 a year, a family with 2 adults and 2 kids will get $34000 a year, and they can earn more money, anything they earn above that amount they can keep half.

I have to give the government credit for trying. I think it is the only solution for the future as there are fewer decent jobs for people. It may work, depends on how well it is implemented and controlled.

Soon you will be able to legally buy pot and stay home and collect $17k a year........and since we have open borders anyone can come and get started.

ab348 · April 2017

driver100 said:

Soon you will be able to legally buy pot and stay home and collect $17k a year........and since we have open borders anyone can come and get started.

It's really sad.

You left out the part where if some quack doctor gives you a prescription for medical weed, the gov will pay for it.

We are circling the drain.

imidazol97 · April 2017

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:
GM manuals for recent years are on the car brand website, downloadable in .pdf format. It's more convenient to have on my computer than in my glovebox.
Unless you are on I-75 1000 miles from home and want to know how something works.

The manuals can be read on or downloaded to your phone as long as you have a cell connection. It's under "Owners" on the websites for GM.

fintail · April 2017

No worries, it'll trickle down. Any day now! We've been told this for about 35 years, it has to happen someday, right?

Actually, I think the corporate tax structure needs to be overhauled (as our new leader also claims), and be in line with our legitimate first world competitors (aka not Switzerland, Monaco, Cayman et al). Then taxes on higher earners can be reformed likewise. The one who pays a greater percentage of their disposable income is indeed facing a regressive tax. Make those who benefit most from the status quo sacrifice the most to fund it. I quickly smirk at claims of "class warfare" - if one looks at socio-economic evolution of the past 40 years or so, it appears easy to see who is winning any war, and likely who declared war on who. Historical precedent has some pretty unpleasant situations when the gap hits a certain level, and it certainly isn't narrowing today.

I am also amused at complaints about legalizing "it" - especially from directions that might have received nice salaries and pensions from public sector sales and management of cigs and/or booze, both of which have taken a far greater toll on society than the other bogeyman. Another historical precedent shows that prohibition never works. I suspect the prosecution costs of non-violent soft substance enforcement is far greater than the damage caused by said substance - almost like it is a make-work project for some, and a way to reduce competition for legal (via crony capitalism) substances.

Minimum income might be a real thing if population keeps expanding without commensurate expansion of jobs, and automation continues to grow. Just tax the money laundering "investors" who escape criticism when people complain about open door policies.

Mr_Shiftright said:

oldfarmer50 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
Back in the 50s, for every tax dollar you paid out, corporations paid out $1.50.

In 2017, for every tax dollar you pay out, corporations pay out about .25 cents
If you made $10 million a year:

1953--90%
2012--34%

So the more you make, the larger the better the tax break...this is what we call a "regressive tax" system.

jmonroe · April 2017

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

I am not a good auditory or visual learner.
That doesn't leave much.

Touchy, feely maybe!

Yep! Good thing they didn't teach Sex Ed when I was a kid in school - could never have learned much out of a book. My way (tactile learning) served my purposes much better - right @cdnpinhead?

You didn't have Sex Ed in school...you missed the best part. Although if you didn't have a book the girls were reluctant to crawl in the back seat. Only liked the guys who did it by the book. No book and they figured you for a dope.

I had a distinct advantage because my Father had a wagon. Got so good there for a while I was thinking of dropping the course and turning in my book but didn't. I ain't no dope.

jmonroe

PF_Flyer · April 2017

This morning's movie stars Bryan Cranston driving this:

dino001 · April 2017

driver100 said:
Dino, you said it so eloquently....I agree.
Our provincial government in Ontario (which spends money like a ~~drunken sailor~~ crazy (not to offend anyone) to buy votes) is going to experiment with a guaranteed minimum income.

3000 people will get about $17000 a year, a family with 2 adults and 2 kids will get $34000 a year, and they can earn more money, anything they earn above that amount they can keep half.

I have to give the government credit for trying. I think it is the only solution for the future as there are fewer decent jobs for people. It may work, depends on how well it is implemented and controlled.

Soon you will be able to legally buy pot and stay home and collect $17k a year........and since we have open borders anyone can come and get started.

Wow, that's nice, I guess, especially if you have no skills and no desire to do anything. It's interesting, how words change meaning over time. "Dignity"is one of those words. It used to mean, one would not accept somebody's money without some kind consideration in return, even if it was not completely symmetrical. Charitable people would even develop a skill of coaxing those in need into accepting their help in an honorable way. Today "living in dignity" is often defined as entitlement to a certain level of lifestyle, regardless of one's contribution to society, just by a privilege of being born into it. My observation on welfare, or in general, money or other consideration that's not earned with any kind of real effort, is the recipient does not say "thank you", he or she says "why so little, I need/should/am owed more". It's never enough, and it's rarely received with gratitude. Not always, of course, but often enough to be a real thing.

BTW, "earned" is another word that changed meaning. So we have "Earned Income Credit" for low income people, which results in a subsidy to their life (essentially, welfare check, disguised as a tax rebate - the EIC is often higher than the tax that would have been owed) just for having kids. My understanding is the name came from the fact that to receive it, a person needs to have a job, i.e. earn income. Fine, perhaps that;s the way to disguise the welfare and make it more palatable for everybody, including recipients.

However, my real exception is that the return on investment (capital gains, dividends, etc.) from somebody is called - wait for it - "unearned" income. That's truly outrageous, IMHO. What the heck is "unearned" about taking a risk and putting your money to capitalize somebody's business needs? Just because one was not hired to perform some kind of physical or mental activity that directly resulted in a product or service, does not make it "unearned".

ab348 · April 2017

suydam said:
Isn't there -- ahem -- a manual that comes with the car? Or is that too lowly these days? My Volt has an app that, among other things, lets you access the manual online.

My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.

driver100 · April 2017

imidazol97 said:

driver100 said:

imidazol97 said:
GM manuals for recent years are on the car brand website, downloadable in .pdf format. It's more convenient to have on my computer than in my glovebox.
Unless you are on I-75 1000 miles from home and want to know how something works.
The manuals can be read on or downloaded to your phone as long as you have a cell connection. It's under "Owners" on the websites for GM.

I have a Pay as You Go Phone....no cell connection....I can't buy a GM.

driver100 · April 2017

I like your comments Dino. I think growing up where you did taught you a lot....it may have been difficult but you are a much better person for it. The new attitude seems to be "I am entitled to have whatever you have", then we can all be equal.

ab348 · April 2017

dino001 said:
My observation on welfare, or in general, money or other consideration that's not earned with any kind of real effort, is the recipient does not say "thank you", he or she says "why so little, I need/should/am owed more". It's never enough, and it's rarely received with gratitude. Not always, of course, but often enough to be a real thing.

Heh. I had a real life example of exactly this here on the weekend. On Saturday the lady who represents my area in the provincial legislature visited me. We had been corresponding a bit and she wanted to meet me. I was impressed that she took the time and we had a nice conversation. She mentioned that the next day she would be making an announcement about some housing programs for a neighborhood some blocks away that is more of a low-income area.

The announcement was that the gov would provide up to a $3000 grant to homeowners in that area for property improvements if the annual family income was below $76K annually. Certainly better than nothing and in fact my first reaction was that the income cap was on the high side. The news coverage the next day was predictable if not laughable. People on camera were complaining that $3000 wasn't enough to do much and they needed more. Jeebus.

dino001 · April 2017

driver100 said:
I like your comments Dino. I think growing up where you did taught you a lot....it may have been difficult but you are a much better person for it. The new attitude seems to be "I am entitled to have whatever you have", then we can all be equal.

I call it "what's mine, is mine, what's yours is also mine" mentality.

nyccarguy · April 2017

ab348 said:

suydam said:
Isn't there -- ahem -- a manual that comes with the car? Or is that too lowly these days? My Volt has an app that, among other things, lets you access the manual online.
My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.

Many moons ago (1999 - 2002), I leased a 2000 Saab 9-3. I brought it in for service and was handed the keys to a brand new 01 or 02 9-3 Convertible. I sat in the car for about 10 minutes trying to get the top to go down. It was supposed to be fully automatic. I went in to the service adviser and asked him if he knew how to lower the convertible top. He came out to the car and couldn't figure it out either. After that, I consulted with the owner's manual that stated the parking brake had to be set in order to raise or lower the top. Problem solved.

graphicguy · April 2017

Seriously? That would sell for p

driver100 said:

Fifty years ago, a young couple paid $27,000 for a modest home in Don Mills (part of Toronto). That approximately 1,500-square-foot house sold for $2.3 million, more than $1.15 million over the nearly $1.19 list price on Wednesday.

Seriously? That would sell for probably under $100K in Cincinnati. And, in that condition, would probably not be in a nice neighborhood.

$1M and above gets you in the nicest neighborhoods and in the nicest houses in Cincinnati.

Matter of fact, for ½ that gets you a really nice home in a really nice neighborhood. Hell.....$300K-$400K gets you in my middle class neighborhood.

dino001 · April 2017

If this is two million bucks, I really don't get it. I heard all good things about Canadian banks being in a good shape and well regulated, but if they underwrite stuff like this at those price levels, trouble is coming, one way or another. It smells like Japan/Hong Kong type of crisis of late 80s, rather than more recent American. which is actually worse,

dino001 · April 2017

ab348 said:

My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.

Reminds me first time I experienced the "beer tap" gear lever on BMW during their "drive" events. I was alone and I could not figure out a reverse gear, as I tried to make u-turn. I climbed a driveway, let the car roll down and turned it around that way.

ab348 · April 2017

fintail said:

I am also amused at complaints about legalizing "it" - especially from directions that might have received nice salaries and pensions from public sector sales and management of cigs and/or booze, both of which have taken a far greater toll on society than the other bogeyman. Another historical precedent shows that prohibition never works. I suspect the prosecution costs of non-violent soft substance enforcement is far greater than the damage caused by said substance - almost like it is a make-work project for some, and a way to reduce competition for legal (via crony capitalism) substances.

I presume this was in part directed at me. If not I apologize in advance.

It may not have occurred to you that having worked in that field and seeing the damage the products we sold did, it is perhaps understandable that the introduction of yet another intoxicating substance to the masses is cause for concern. I had big problems with the way the place I worked for marketed their products. I pushed for but was unsuccessful in getting them to stop selling cheap wino booze and point of sale minis that even people in the trade call road rockets. Prohibition is not the answer but having shops on every streetcorner selling stupefying substances is not either.

oldfarmer50 · April 2017

jmonroe said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

nyccarguy said:

I'm against the idea of moving. I hate it! We lived in 2 houses from the time I was born until I graduated high school. My wife and her family moved around more. I also don't want to take on additional debt, plus reset the mortgage clock again since I refinanced only 2 years ago. I'm just getting comfortable financially so I'm not completely stressing every month about the mortgage plus I'm putting money away. We make a good living between the 2 of us, but neither of us is poised for a GIANT pay raise anytime soon.

I'm with you on moving. I'd like to downsize on living space and upsize on garage space, but I'd hate to sell the farm.

I'd love to sell the farm. Got enough land to build a race track if you wanted.

Do I hear any offers?

Yeah, I'm in.

I'll sign over my $85 IRS refund check. Getting a patch of land is better than getting some drunken chicken dish at Denney's like @driver100 has been suggesting. :@

The way I look at it is, they ain't making no more land but chickens can be hatched, grown and served up drunk in a couple months. Or I can just let em run around in the yard till I can get them to Denney's.

jmonroe

Better stick with Denny's.

oldfarmer50 · April 2017

dino001 said:
Oops. Sorry. One sneaked in. BTW, I am NOT rich, I just can't stand class warfare language, heard too much of it when I was a kid.

When I was a kid I thought this is what they meant by Capitalist running dogs.

oldfarmer50 · April 2017

driver100 said:
Dino, you said it so eloquently....I agree.
Our provincial government in Ontario (which spends money like a ~~drunken sailor~~ crazy (not to offend anyone) to buy votes) is going to experiment with a guaranteed minimum income.

3000 people will get about $17000 a year, a family with 2 adults and 2 kids will get $34000 a year, and they can earn more money, anything they earn above that amount they can keep half.

I have to give the government credit for trying. I think it is the only solution for the future as there are fewer decent jobs for people. It may work, depends on how well it is implemented and controlled.

Soon you will be able to legally buy pot and stay home and collect $17k a year........and since we have open borders anyone can come and get started.

When can I start?

fintail · April 2017

It was, but I wasn't intending to be particularly offensive, sorry if I was

I live in a place where wacky tobacky is legal, and the state has removed itself from having a monopoly on hard alcohol sales, letting it be privatized at the behest of voters. So far, no societal collapse. There's a shop every few miles to buy the substance enjoyed by lucky boomers back in the day and now abhorred, and all kinds of liquor can be bought in supermarkets. At least in my area, no new problems. I think the minimum age laws should be enforced, with significant penalties on businesses who break them, and laws related to driving under the influence should have more teeth, esp for repeat offenders. That's really about all one can do, and even then, people who want it are going to get it somehow.

ab348 said:

I presume this was in part directed at me. If not I apologize in advance.

It may not have occurred to you that having worked in that field and seeing the damage the products we sold did, it is perhaps understandable that the introduction of yet another intoxicating substance to the masses is cause for concern. I had big problems with the way the place I worked for marketed their products. I pushed for but was unsuccessful in getting them to stop selling cheap wino booze and point of sale minis that even people in the trade call road rockets. Prohibition is not the answer but having shops on every streetcorner selling stupefying substances is not either.

abacomike · April 2017

Sometimes, it is very difficult to resist an urge - like buying a new car when it makes no sense at all - or just getting on a plane and take a last minute vacation to an exotic destination like Perth, Australia or the Canary Islands. Well, this morning, I had to fulfill an urge to get a motorcycle.

So I drove over to the local Harley Davidson dealer here in Ft. Lauderdale and walked into the showroom. A 1200 Custom caught my eye. Brought back many memories from the 1980's when I had a Honda 1000 custom. A "very" young man walked over to me and asked if I needed some assistance as I flipped my right leg over the motorcycle and sat down in the seat - hands on the throttle and clutch. I asked him if the cycle I was sitting on came in red. He said it sure did and he said he had one in the shop they just finished putting the finishing touches on. I told him I had not driven a bike in over 35 years - he said it's like riding a bicycle - you never forget.

He took me in the back to the shop and there it was - faring and saddle bags (metal and plastic). Even had a stereo radio system that bluetoothed right into the helmet. Awesome! He told me to straddle it and take it for a spin. I did! A little sloppy changing gears at first and trying to get accustomed to the weight distribution. The helmet was a bit cumbersome at first. But I was in heaven after about driving it a couple of miles.

Got back to the dealership and I was anxious to get a price. He said that the bike I was sitting on with all the options was $16,500+++. He said it was a rare bike equipped as it was.

After reminiscing the many close calls I had on my 1000 custom coupled with the fact that I was no longer 40 years old with excellent reflexes, I decided I should think more about making this move. I thanked the young man for his time and his expertise and got into my car. Ahhhhh, the comforts of a BMW 740i compared to the smells and fumes and lack of protection from the elements in/on the Harley - it didn't take me long to pat myself on the back for not making yet another dumb decision I would quickly regret.

Home now and enjoying the satisfaction of driving a Harley but not buying one. All in all, not a bad day!!!

stickguy · April 2017

Good thing. Probably would not have ended well.

jmonroe · April 2017

dino001 said:

driver100 said:
I like your comments Dino. I think growing up where you did taught you a lot....it may have been difficult but you are a much better person for it. The new attitude seems to be "I am entitled to have whatever you have", then we can all be equal.
I call it "what's mine, is mine, what's yours is also mine" mentality.

In this country that is called being a Democrat.

And before anyone jumps me, no, I'm not a Republican either. I'm a registered Independent.

Why anyone would want to be called a Democrat or a Republican is beyond me.

I got my "rights", you know...I'm an American.

jmonroe

driver100 · April 2017

Oh geez....he's out looking again!

driver100 · April 2017

dino001 said:
If this is two million bucks, I really don't get it. I heard all good things about Canadian banks being in a good shape and well regulated, but if they underwrite stuff like this at those price levels, trouble is coming, one way or another. It smells like Japan/Hong Kong type of crisis of late 80s, rather than more recent American. which is actually worse,

We have had bubbles before...but, now there is a new generation who hasn't experienced it yet.

driver100 · April 2017

A large Life Insurance Company is getting rid of 1500 workers, out of a total of 12000. They said customers prefer to do things online, and they want lower prices. 1500 good paying jobs......gone in a flash!

driver100 · April 2017

dino001 said:

ab348 said:

My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.
Reminds me first time I experienced the "beer tap" gear lever on BMW during their "drive" events. I was alone and I could not figure out a reverse gear, as I tried to make u-turn. I climbed a driveway, let the car roll down and turned it around that way.

First time I experienced it was on a test drive. I was driving on the dealers lot and was coming nose to nose with another BMW.....I should have been the one to back up but I tried and tried. Eventually, the other driver backed up and let me through.....embarrassing!

jmonroe · April 2017

driver100 said:
A large Life Insurance Company is getting rid of 1500 workers, out of a total of 12000. They said customers prefer to do things online, and they want lower prices. 1500 good paying jobs......gone in a flash!

Sounds more like an excuse to get rid of 1500 people. After all, this is an insurance company and they know numbers at least as well as banks.

jmonroe

driver100 · April 2017

Not to belabor the point but:
U.S. Supreme Court rejects GM appeal to block ignition switch lawsuits.

The Supreme Court on Monday turned away an appeal from General Motors Co. seeking to block dozens of lawsuits over faulty ignition switches that one plaintiffs' attorney said could expose the company to billions of dollars in additional claims.

The justices without comment left in place a lower court ruling that said the automaker's 2009 bankruptcy did not shield it from liability in the cases.

An attorney representing hundreds of plaintiffs who are suing the company said it exposes GM to around 1,000 additional lawsuits and $5 billion to $10 billion in liabilities.

A federal appeals court ruled last year that GM remains responsible for ignition-switch injuries and deaths that occurred pre-bankruptcy because the company knew about the problem for more than a decade but kept it secret from the bankruptcy court and owners of cars with the faulty switches. The decision also opens GM to claims that any of those cars sold by the company prior to bankruptcy lost value because of the ignition-switch scandal.

GM LAWSUIT

GM has net profit of almost $10 billion a year so that is a big chunk of change. Getting them to take back a lemon just got harder.

driver100 · April 2017

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:
A large Life Insurance Company is getting rid of 1500 workers, out of a total of 12000. They said customers prefer to do things online, and they want lower prices. 1500 good paying jobs......gone in a flash!
Sounds more like an excuse to get rid of 1500 people. After all, this is an insurance company and they know numbers at least as well as banks.

jmonroe

Agreed, but still, this is the way things are going......1500 jobs disappear because of the internet, and where will these people find work?

stickguy · April 2017

Internet companies.

dino001 · April 2017

jmonroe said:

dino001 said:

driver100 said:
I like your comments Dino. I think growing up where you did taught you a lot....it may have been difficult but you are a much better person for it. The new attitude seems to be "I am entitled to have whatever you have", then we can all be equal.
I call it "what's mine, is mine, what's yours is also mine" mentality.
In this country that is called being a Democrat.

And before anyone jumps me, no, I'm not a Republican either. I'm a registered Independent.

Why anyone would want to be called a Democrat or a Republican is beyond me.

I got my "rights", you know...I'm an American.

jmonroe

When I made my Citizen's oath couple of years ago, I was so proud to register myself as a Republican. I really was. I'm considering changing it to Independent. Florida is a closed primary state, so that would mean to be excluded from the process of pre-selection. But if my fellow partisans come up with what the came up with last time, I may not be as interested to put my name on that. What happened is beyond just a disappointment of not getting "my guy" (I actually didn't have a "guy"), but realization that this was the best the party could come up with and later these were the best both parties could come up with. I'm still recovering from that. It's essentially one strike more and I will change the registration.

jmonroe · April 2017

driver100 said:

jmonroe said:

driver100 said:
A large Life Insurance Company is getting rid of 1500 workers, out of a total of 12000. They said customers prefer to do things online, and they want lower prices. 1500 good paying jobs......gone in a flash!
Sounds more like an excuse to get rid of 1500 people. After all, this is an insurance company and they know numbers at least as well as banks.

jmonroe
Agreed, but still, this is the way things are going......1500 jobs disappear because of the internet, and where will these people find work?

You have to get training in something that is difficult for the internet to do. Sounds easy but it starts when you select your career path. Not any heat surgeries being done by folks on the internet although there are countless articles on the internet about what is done during heart surgery.

Before my my sons went of to school I told them they had to choose a real "major" and I'm only paying for 4 years (and didn't even pay 100% of that) so any changes were not going to be on my dime.

Being a 5 or 6 year senior was out of the question.

jmonroe

stickguy · April 2017

Job types have been disappearing for centuries as new technology comes along. People love to focus on jobs eliminated, without looking at other job types created that didn't exist before.

driver100 · April 2017

I really think this is different. When the car came along, people worried about the black smith and the buggy whip maker disappearing. But, the car actually made more jobs, making cars, gas stations, motels, highways, garage repair shops etc.

But, this is a lot of jobs at one time and computers can do most of the work that people were doing. It was true in the past, when jobs disappeared new and better jobs were created. But you don't need many new jobs to send things out from one warehouse (Amazon), but that will kill 100000s of jobs in retail stores. It is happening now.....stores are closing and going bankrupt.

And what are the new replacement jobs really going to be like, unless you are the guy pushing the button in a huge factory you will be waiting tables or be an Uber driver. I understand a lot of legal work will be done by computers and even medical procedures will be done by robots. And not too many employers are offering benefits or pension plans.

I think this time real jobs are disappearing.

ab348 · April 2017

stickguy said:
Job types have been disappearing for centuries as new technology comes along. People love to focus on jobs eliminated, without looking at other job types created that didn't exist before.

True enough. It may or may not be happening at a faster rate though I don't really know for sure. We tend to hear about them these days where that might not have been the case before. Think of the telephone operator job as one example. Closer to home it happened where I worked when most of the receptionists and secretaries went away or moved to other jobs when email, WP and voice mail were introduced.

laurasdada · April 2017

Nice story, Mike!

Driver100, I work for a large Canadian insurance company, gee, I hope I'm not one of the 1500...

XF is ready, off to return the Disco and claim my wheels!

Mr_Shiftright · April 2017

oldfarmer50 said:

dino001 said:
Oops. Sorry. One sneaked in. BTW, I am NOT rich, I just can't stand class warfare language, heard too much of it when I was a kid.
When I was a kid I thought this is what they meant by Capitalist running dogs.

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.” --Mark Twain

isellhondas · April 2017

fintail said:
That's similar to experiences around Seattle too - well, not 2MM, but there are houses that were 25K in 1965 that are 1MM+ now. And don't ask about the funding sources of the new buyer.

driver100 said:

Fifty years ago, a young couple paid $27,000 for a modest home in Don Mills (part of Toronto). That approximately 1,500-square-foot house sold for $2.3 million, more than $1.15 million over the nearly $1.19 list price on Wednesday.

Fintail as I'm sure are aware a lot of this money is coming from overseas as family members write fat checks!

dino001 · April 2017

driver100 said:

dino001 said:

ab348 said:

My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.
Reminds me first time I experienced the "beer tap" gear lever on BMW during their "drive" events. I was alone and I could not figure out a reverse gear, as I tried to make u-turn. I climbed a driveway, let the car roll down and turned it around that way.

First time I experienced it was on a test drive. I was driving on the dealers lot and was coming nose to nose with another BMW.....I should have been the one to back up but I tried and tried. Eventually, the other driver backed up and let me through.....embarrassing!

I still think it's one of those things BMW made just to drive people crazy. Every time I touch it, I'm afraid I'm going it rip it out of the housing. My salesman told me it actually happened to one of his customers. There are benefits of that beer tap handle in releasing space around it. It's still better than the silly stalk lever on Benz's GLA.

graphicguy · April 2017

One thing I've always believed, it's never a good idea to let a church or a government determine what is or isn't good for you.

abacomike · April 2017

dino001 said:

My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.

Reminds me first time I experienced the "beer tap" gear lever on BMW during their "drive" events. I was alone and I could not figure out a reverse gear, as I tried to make u-turn. I climbed a driveway, let the car roll down and turned it around that way.

First time I experienced it was on a test drive. I was driving on the dealers lot and was coming nose to nose with another BMW.....I should have been the one to back up but I tried and tried. Eventually, the other driver backed up and let me through.....embarrassing!

I still think it's one of those things BMW made just to drive people crazy. Every time I touch it, I'm afraid I'm going it rip it out of the housing. My salesman told me it actually happened to one of his customers. There are benefits of that beer tap handle in releasing space around it. It's still better than the silly stalk lever on Benz's GLA.

The gear selector in my car is a "beer tap handle?" Could have fooled me!

tbirdmarco · April 2017

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V6jug46K3KE

driver100 · April 2017

laurasdada said:
Nice story, Mike!

Driver100, I work for a large Canadian insurance company, gee, I hope I'm not one of the 1500...

XF is ready, off to return the Disco and claim my wheels!

laurasdad.....hope it isn't you.

Insurance conglomerate Great-West Lifeco plans to lay off 1,500 Canadian workers this year and next year as part of a cost-cutting plan.

On a conference call with analsysts to discuss the move, the company said it expects most of the job cuts to be front-loaded, with 1,000 coming in 2017 and the remainder next year.

In addition to cutting nearly one out of every seven jobs it has in Canada, the company also announced it would be consolidating some of its real estate holdings, improving some of its processes and updating its IT systems to save money

Great West Life

driver100 · April 2017

dino001 said:

driver100 said:

dino001 said:

ab348 said:

My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.
Reminds me first time I experienced the "beer tap" gear lever on BMW during their "drive" events. I was alone and I could not figure out a reverse gear, as I tried to make u-turn. I climbed a driveway, let the car roll down and turned it around that way.

First time I experienced it was on a test drive. I was driving on the dealers lot and was coming nose to nose with another BMW.....I should have been the one to back up but I tried and tried. Eventually, the other driver backed up and let me through.....embarrassing!
I still think it's one of those things BMW made just to drive people crazy. Every time I touch it, I'm afraid I'm going it rip it out of the housing. My salesman told me it actually happened to one of his customers. There are benefits of that beer tap handle in releasing space around it. It's still better than the silly stalk lever on Benz's GLA.

Silly stalk is on all MBs now I think. They think people like it because it leaves the console for other things. I like the beer tap the best once I learned how to use it.......but stalk is more refined....if you like refined. I think a gear shifter should feel like a gear shifter, and should slide and be on the console.

Chrysler is getting lots of flack about that rotary dial shifter....people making too many mistakes.

driver100 · April 2017

abacomike said:

dino001 said:

driver100 said:

dino001 said:

ab348 said:

My ATS has a printed manual almost an inch thick that came with it. The loaner XT5 I had a few months ago also had one and I'm glad it did, as I needed to refer to it almost immediately to figure out the stupid electronic shift lever.

Reminds me first time I experienced the "beer tap" gear lever on BMW during their "drive" events. I was alone and I could not figure out a reverse gear, as I tried to make u-turn. I climbed a driveway, let the car roll down and turned it around that way.

First time I experienced it was on a test drive. I was driving on the dealers lot and was coming nose to nose with another BMW.....I should have been the one to back up but I tried and tried. Eventually, the other driver backed up and let me through.....embarrassing!

I still think it's one of those things BMW made just to drive people crazy. Every time I touch it, I'm afraid I'm going it rip it out of the housing. My salesman told me it actually happened to one of his customers. There are benefits of that beer tap handle in releasing space around it. It's still better than the silly stalk lever on Benz's GLA.

The gear selector in my car is a "beer tap handle?" Could have fooled me!

Did you think it was for fine whiskey?

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